Ukiah, CA The Mendocino College Theatre Arts Department will hold auditions for the seven new plays, that have been selected to be produced this spring in the Sixth Annual Festival of New Plays. The plays, each with an approximate running time of ten minutes, will be directed by student directors under the guidance of theatre professor Reid Edelman and writing professor Jody Gehrman. After putting out a call to the community, Edelman and Gehrman received over sixty original scripts from local writers. Some were students in the college’s English and theatre classes, and some were writers in the area who decided to submit their work. “We’re extremely pleased,” says Gehrman. “Once again, the entries were wonderful! Deciding which ones to produce was extraordinarily difficult.” The selected plays include: “Mixed Messages” by Janice Crew and Leanne Moore (directed by Maria A. Monti), “Blink” by Florence Peck and Sheralyn Riewarts (directed by KC Dill), “Benediction” by Corinna Rogers (directed by Joel Shura), “Elevator” by Natasha Yim (directed by Maria A. Monti), “Memory Lapse” by Jim Rogers (directed by Jim Williams), “Choices” by Terena Scott (directed by Chris Dill), “A New Life,” by Laura Towne (directed by Jonathan Whipple). According to Edelman, “This annual festival of new plays has become a highlight of the college theatre season.” In recent years, the festival has played to sold out audiences. “I think the public will really enjoy these performances, but even more importantly, the collaboration between directors, actors and playwrights provides an invaluable learning experience for everyone,” says Gehrman. Open auditions for all seven plays will be held Monday April 7 from 6-9:30 PM in the Little Theater on the Mendocino College campus. All interested actors should arrive at 6 PM and plan on staying until the auditions end at 9:30 PM. The auditions will involve reading short scenes from the selected plays. No preparation or experience is required for the auditions; however, scripts for the new plays are on reserve in the college library for those who wish to read them before auditioning. Performances are scheduled for May 9 and 10 at 8 PM. For more information, please contact Reid Edelman, 468-3172 or redelman@mendocino.edu. # # # #